Closure for containers



March 12, 19411 N. E. H. DELETZKE CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 13.1937 w ww Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECherry-Burrell Corpo a corporation ration, Wilmington, DeL,

Application September 13, 1937, Serial No. 163,541

, 8 Claims.

This invention relates to container closures. It is especiallyapplicable to containers such as milk bottles, and -is accordingly sodescribed herein; however, it is not. limited to containers for anyparticular purpose.

In closure caps of thin, pliable material, such as metal foil, which aremolded with a depending crimped flange about the mouth of the container,the preferred sealing contact is formed at the line of engagementbetween the crimped detents in the flange and the complementary engagingshoulder in the outer wall of the container neck. Likewise, the pointsof interruption of the lines of engagement along the shoulder are theWeek- II est points of sealing contact, and are objectionable in thatthey permit leakage.

Discontinuous or interrupted cap engaging provisions are commonlyemployed to obliterate the engaging detents in the depending cap skirtor go flange, by means .of a relative rotation of the c'ap upon thecontainer, after which rotation the cap may be lifted from the containermouth. The ends of the discontinuous cap engaging provisions serve asfulcra to obliterate the retaining 5 detents when the cap is rotatedrelative to the container mouth. This invention has for its chief objectthe production of a bottle and pliable closure cap therefor of novelconstruction, which will protect the mouth and pouring lip of the bottleagainst contamination, but which is easily applied and removed, in whichthe applied cap is tamper-proof and isin uninterrupted sealing contactabout the outer periphery of the mouth of the bottle, but which may beloosened for removal by a partial turn of the cap relative to thebottle, without deforming the cap so as to prevent its subsequent reusefor temporarib sealing the bottle. Another object is to provide a washring or grip ring in the form of a second and enlarged bead about theneck of the bottle which also protects the cap and cap. holding partsfrom injury, as well as affords means for holding or handling thebottle. A further object is to provide a closure for bottles which canbe partially preformed and molded in position about the container top byany of the usual methods of molding closure caps over bottle mouths, i.e., by the application of so lateral pressure to the cap and containerfor crimping portions of the dependingcap flange into position about thecap engaging means in the outer periphery of the bottle neck.

a Though a milk bottle and closuretherefor 55 have been selected as thepreferred embodiment of my invention, yet it may also be employed as aclosure for other containers such as beer and beverage bottles, jars andcontainers.

The foregoing objects I prefer to accomplish as illustrated in thepreferred embodiment of my 6 invention, in a milk bottle closure. Theinvention will be best understood from the following description, whichwhen read in connection with the following drawing in which:

Figure l is an elevation of a partially prem formed cap of the typecontemplated by this invention; Figure 2 is an elevation, partially insection, of the upper portion of a milk bottle showing one constructionaccording to this invention; Figure 3 is a similar view of the bottle 35with the cap applied to it; Figure 4 is also a similar view of thebottle with the cap partially removed from it; and Figure 5 is a portionof a vertical section on an enlarged scale taken on line 5-5 of Figure3. 20

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, and particularly toFigure 2 in which i designates a bottle neck provided with a pouring lipor head 2 about its mouth, and an annular wash ring or guard ring itimmediately below the W than is the lower wall 8 of the wavy groove, in35' an adjacent crest of the groove.

Referring to Figure 1, the closure cap there illustrated consists of alid portion 9 and a depending flange Ill. 'The closure cap is applied tothe bottle in such a manner that the mouth of the bottle 'is covered by.the lid portion 9 and the greater portion of the bead 2 is covered bythe depending cap flange it, as shown by Figure 3.

In each instance the closure cap overlaps all 48 portions of the annularwavy groove 3, and is embossed thereinto during the cap applying action,thus forming a complementary rib I! in the depending cap flange.Thelower edge of the cap flange ll covers a portion of the bead 2 50beneath the lower wall 8 of a groove trough 6. This provision is anadded advantage in that the portion of the cap embossed into the groove3 provides a form of reinforcement in the depending cap flange andconstitutes the cap reintermediate the upper and lower margins of theflange, we also provide two annular bands in the depending cap flange,which are not disturbed by the cap removing action and thus provide forsatisfactory temporary sealing on subsequent re-use of the cap.

A satisfactory closure cap,-to be used with a bottle as above described,may be formed of thin, pliable, shape retaining material such as metalfoil, etc., and in its preferred adaptation, has a depending flange itoi slightly larger internal diameter than the external diameter of thebead 2 of the bottle mouth.

The walls '5 and 8 of the groove 2 constitute compound, deflectingsurfaces when the cap is rotated relative to the bottle. This is due tothe combined radial and axial inclination of all portions of thewails'of the groove. However, these same walls I and 8 which constitutethe cap removing means, also constitute the cap engaging means, as wellas the uninterrupted sealing means. The wavy inclined surfaces i and 8of the groove 2, upon rotation of the cap relative to the bottle, willhave an axial and radial wedging effect simultaneously upon all portionsof the complementary rib i2 embossed into the depending skirt of thecap. Such combined wedging' the bottle neck. To apply the cap to thebottle,

it is necessary after placing the cap over the bottle mouth, to applylateral inwardly directed pressure to the depending skirt. This iscommonly done by means of pneumatic dies which will cause the skirt toconform to the outer surface of the bottle neck, as well as emboss a ribl2 into the depending flange of the cap, complementary to the groove 2in the bottle neck. This complementary rib l2 will shoulderingly engagethe walls I and 8'of the groove 2, thus forming the sealing contact, aswell as the retaining crimpings which hold the cap in position on thebottle neck.

To remove the cap, the preferred method is to grip the bottle in onehand and pressing the palm of the other hand against the lid of the cap,turn the cap relative to the bottle. Such relative rotation will breakthe sealing contact, as well as 'make the cap removable by thewedgingaction of -convenient means for gripping the bottle when handlingthe samefas well as when it is being washed. The wash ring I alsoprotects the lower flange ll of the ,cap and the pouring lip of thebottle in that it. is so constructed as to act as a sort of bumper.

My invention, therefore, provides a closure for aroma? taining crimpingsand sealing contacts. By the' .embossing of a rib into the depending capflange containers which can be easily and quickly removed and which whenapplied to the container, is retained in position against accidentalremoval, and which forms an uninterrupted, continuous, sealing contact,as well as protects the mouth of the container against contamination.,As pointed out, the unique way of expanding the crimpings in thedepending flange of the cap skirt, as well as the forming of a sealingcontact,-will permit of the easy removal of the cap from the containerwhen the cap is rotated relative to the container mouth, as well as itssubsequent re-use.

Although I have shown and described the certain specific embodiments ofmy invention, I am fully aware of the many possible modificationsthereof. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted, exceptinsofar as necessitated by the prior art and the spirit of the appliedclaims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a container having formed externally in the neckthereof adjacent its orifice, a continuous, uninterrupted groove of wavycontour relative to the mouth of the container, and a closure cap ofpliable material over the container mouth having a depending flangeprovided with a rib formed in the capping operation complementary to thegroove of wavy contour, said groove being so constructed and arrangedwhereby, upon the rotation of the closure cap relative to the mouth ofthe container, said rib in said depending flange will be moved out ofengagement with said groove.

2. The combination of a bottle whose neck is provided with anuninterrupted, external, annular, wavy groove, and a sealing hood ofpliable material applied to the mouth of the bottle and having acontinuous depending skirt molded in position on the mouth of the bottleto overlap and engage said groove by a complementary rib so formed inthe skirt, said wavy groove being of such amplitude and frequency andbeing so constructed and arranged that the upper edge of! some portionsof the groove is farther removed axially from the bottle mouth than thelower edge.

of some oth r portions of the groove.

3. A bott e, the neck of which is recessed externally to form anuninterrupted, annular groove, both walls ofwhich are ununiformlyinclined relative to the mouth of said bottle, and to the axis of thebottle and in which the upper edge of some portions of the groove willbe farther removed axially from the bottle mouth than the lower edge ofsome other portions of the groove.

4. A bottle, the neck of which is recessed externally adjacent itsorifice'to form an annular, uninterrupted groove of undulatingconfiguration in the surface of the bottle neck in which the continuousupper edge of the groove constitutes the sealing edge and in which someportions of the said upper edge of the groove. will be farther removedaxially .from the bottle mouth than the lower edge of some otherportions of the groove, and a closure cap of pliable material applied tothe'mouth of the bottle having portions of the skirt embossed into thesaid groove.

5. A bottle provided with a neck having a continuous, wavy recessadjacent its mouth in the outer periphery thereof forming a continuoussealing edge and cap engaging shoulder, and a skirted capappliedtothecontainer mouth and formed thereon, said cap having a rib complementaryto the cap engaging-groove embossed into its depending skirt, said ribengaging the walls of the recess in the bottle neck and forming a illsealing contact therewith, said wavy recess being of such amplitude andfrequency that, upon rotation of the cap relative to the containermouth, said rib in said cap skirt will be disembossed by contact withthe walls of said recess, 4

6. A bottle of the class described, the neck of which is providedadjacent its mouth with an annular, uninterrupted, wavy recess, thewalls of which assume an inclined position radially and axially of thecontainer, and a closure cap with depending skirt applied to thecontainer mouth having a, portion of the depending skirt, intermediatethe upper and lower margins thereof, pressed inwardly into shoulderingengagement with the walls of the wavy recess, said wavy recess being ofsuch amplitude and frequency and so constructed and arranged that, uponrotating the closure cap relative tothe container mouth, said inwardlypressed portion of said depending skirt will be pressed outwardly toenable the ready removal of the cap from the said bottle mouth.

7. A tamper-proof bottle finish and closure comprising a bottle neckhaving an annular, uninterrupted, peripheral bead adjoining its mouth,an annular, uninterrupted ledge beneath said head, an annular groove ofundulated configuration throughout its entire length separating saidhead and said ledge, said bead and said ledge having complementalsurfaces, and an external skirted closure, said closure having adeformably skirted portion disposed under said bead and extending intosaid groove, said groove being of such amplitude and frequency and soconstructed and arranged that, upon the rotation of said closurerelative to the mouth of said bottle, the portion of the skirt of saidclosure disposed under said ledge will be ironed out by the wedgingaction of the ledge and the bottom wall of said groove.

8. The combination of a container having a fiat, annular, uninterruptedbead about its neck immediately adjacent the mouth of said container, acontinuous, uninterrupted groove of wavy contour relative to the mouthof the container recessed into the flat surface of said bead, and aclosure cap of pliable material over the container mouth having adepending flange provided with a rib formed in the capping operationcomplemental to the said groove, said cap flange extending downwardlyover said bead beyond said groove, said groove being of such amplitudeand frequency and being so constructed and arranged that, upon therotation of the closure cap relative to the container mouth,,said rib insaid depending flange will be expanded outwardly to enable the readyremoval of the closure cap from the mouth of the container.

NORMAN E. 'H. DELETZKE.

